Snowbird
by Kittedalae
Summary: A child born in the Hidden Snow is taken in by a family of the Hidden Leaf Village. She knows not of her heritage or of the task she must one day fulfill. Crappy summary. Please R&R. Rating may change in the future.


First installment! I promise, the first real chapter won't be far off. Please read and review!

Disclaimer: I, Kittedalae, own no part of the Naruto series. However, the plotline and OC's belong to me and only me.

* * *

**Prologue**

Run. Get away. Don't stop. Don't look back. Just run.

A hauntingly beautiful kuonichi with eyes the color of the midday sun did just that. She sprinted for dear life, darting between snowy pines not for herself, but for the tightly wrapped bundle in her arms. A child. As a fresh round of anguished cries rang against the barren sky, she pulled the infant even closer to her breast. How could this have happened? Why? She bit back her bitter tears. A ninja shows no emotion. No weakness.

Footsteps echoed behind her, growing ever closer with each passing moment and soon, she knew, her enemies would be upon her. Then she would have to stand and fight, or die like a dog in the wilderness.

The female ninja chanced a tender look at her precious cargo. Amazingly, the babe had remained silent throughout their flight from the village. Soft blonde hair framed its face like a halo and one day it would pale to the same snowy white shade as the rest of her clan's. This tiny creature, not even able to walk yet, was their only hope.

Turning her head to look up once again, the kuonichi turned sharply on the balls of her feet, ducking under a low branch and into a snow filled clearing. The air, usually crisp and clear, was tainted with the smell of smoke. Usually a sanctuary, it was the only place she knew to flee to. There's not much time, she told herself.

Falling to her knees, the ninja gently placed the blanket and child upon the snowdrift. Then she pulled a kunai from her belt and, twirling it around her finger, cut a thin line in her palm. She took a shallow breath before slamming her hands into the ground and with a fervent whisper, calling out, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

A sudden pickup in the winds sent of a huge cloud of snow. As it finally settled, what was revealed was the form of an enormous white wolf. It looked upon its summoner with sad golden eyes that flickered in their many facets. It already knew what was to take place.

Not looking up, the kuonichi spoke her orders. "Take her somewhere safe. Where they can't find her, no matter how hard they look."

The great beast did not move. "And what about you?"

"Don't worry about me," she intoned simply. "I'm resigned to my fate, so take the child and go, before its too late."

For a moment, the wolf was silent, but eventually it dipped its head, replying, "As you wish." And so the wolf stepped forward, allowing the kuonichi to place the babe upon its back, whereupon it clung with surprisingly strong hands. As soon as both were assured of its safety, there was another sweeping blizzard, and then they were gone.

No longer burdened, the ninja took a steadying breath, closing her eyes for a brief moment before opening them again. Then, changing grips on her kunai, she turned to face the opposing tree line. About ten ninja now stood there, having only just halted their advance. The kuonichi's visage registered no surprise or fear; only an icy collectedness.

A tall brown haired nin, presumably the leader of the group, spoke first, his voice callous and swaggering. "Alright, you yellow-eyed freak. Where's the kid?"

From the kuonichi, there was no response. She fixed the speaker with a look that was wholly unreadable, but spoke of a total, unbridled hatred that scarce had seen before. A wild, untamed aura emanated from her very presence. It made the male ninja take pause.

But he continued still. "This is no time to be valiant. Just tell us where the goddamn kid is and you can join the rest of your clan."

This last part was accented with an ugly sneer. He was already counting his victory. Suffice to say, it was not a smart move on his part.

A low growl had begun to rumble like distant thunder. Barely noticeable at first, it began to grow in intensity until it crept into the minds of every ninja there, filling the clearing with its sound. Party members exchanged nervous glances. Where on earth was that sound, so demonic, so powerful, coming from? The, exactly ten pairs of eyes all turned in unison to look upon the kuonichi.

Her white hair whipped about as if caught in the wind, although the air itself was calm. The golden eyes for which she was condemned crackled with energy and loathing. But most frightening of all was the kuonichi's visage, feral in all respects. A hair-raising snarl which made her opponents quake where they stood ripped from between her bared teeth as she charged forward and, running now on instinct alone, she went straight for the leader not with her kunai but with her jaws. A spray of blood stained scarlet upon the snow as she clamped down on her target. Then, with a quick shake, she tore the man's throat to pieces, the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth even as she dropped his lifeless form to the ground.

These ninja would pay for their actions. Their blood would atone for her fallen clan. This would be her swan song, but she would drag them all to the fires of hell.

* * *

Thousands of miles away, in a distant forest, wolf and child appeared from the shadowed oaks. The sounds of a nearby, bustling village broke the silence both were accustomed to in the snowy northlands. Sun dappled leaves, green in the color of spring, told of a far different place than they had ever known. "This will be your home, little one," the wolf murmured, letting her stowaway slide from her back to a soft bed of old leaves and undergrowth.

The wolf looked critically at the bundle before it. "But first…lets make you a little less conspicuous…"

Ever so gently, she touched her black nose to the child's pale hair. When she drew away, it had gone from the color of flax to a shade of deep, earthy brown like the color of an arctic lupine's summer coat. Then, taking a silent breath, the wolf leant forward once more, this time exhaling upon the babe's closed eyes. When they opened once more, they would no longer be the hunter's yellow of her clan's. Instead, they too would be the color of rich earth, almost black in its fathomless tone.

Quite pleased with herself, the wolf stepped back. "And now to assure you are found."

She gathered herself for a moment, inhaling deeply before tilting her noble head to the sky and letting out an eerily beauteous howl. It rang in the throughout the forest, reaching the village in no time at all. As she drew her song to a close, the wolf could already hear a mobilized ninja on his way.

"Good luck," she whispered, smiling in a way only a wolf could. Then, in a flash of white, she was gone.


End file.
